The current economic state and how to live with it - with an emphasis on the college-age population - will be the focus of the address "Economic Mining: That ¼" Hole," being presented by Jim Schneider through the Student Congress Speaker Series at Hope College on Monday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. in the Maas Center auditorium.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

Schneider is an accomplished speaker for both business and educational functions and seminars. He develops, trains and implements business strategies, and trains sales and customer-service personnel on a freelance basis. He also mentors and trains individuals on a consulting basis and in his ministry work.

He is currently director of operations and market development at West Michigan Occupational Services and Holland Medi Center. His career has included a variety of other positions in sales and marketing. His formal education is in behavioral science and business.

The Student Congress Speaker Series is planned and executed by student leaders elected as representatives of the student body. The series aims to supplement Hope's liberal arts curriculum with relevant, informative speakers of interest to students and community members.

The series debuted with author Alex Haley on Jan. 30, 1992. Others featured through the years have included actor Danny Glover and actor/director Felix Justice; comedian and talk show host Bertice Berry; author James Malinchak; former principal Joe Clark, inspiration for the film "Lean on Me"; attorney Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on environmental issues; writer Maya Angelou; author Jack Thompson, a leading anti-entertainment industry litigator; author David Kushner; presidential speech writer and lawyer Ben Stein; peace activist Arun Gandhi; Robert Bullard, an expert on environmental justice and environmental racism; Cleve Jones, founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt; Paul Solman, a noted expert on domestic and international economics; actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr.; and, last year, Jane Elliott, who devised the "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" exercise in teaching about prejudice.

The Maas Center is located at 264 Columbia Ave., on Columbia Avenue at 11th Street.